Lord Edgware Dies (Poirot)

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Jane Wilkinson appears to be a sweet and charming woman, but upon being unmasked reveals herself to be a smug Femme Fatale who enjoys manipulating people. Jane Wilkinson in the novel, on the other hand, was openly self-centered, which is revealed in the end to be Not an Act; she really was that selfish, and she committed three murders because she felt she was in her right to do so. It's true; Hercule Poirot had been present when the famous actress Jane Wilkinson bragged of her plan to ‘get rid of’ her estranged husband, Lord Edgware. You have the confidence — always the confidence! You never stop and say to yourself — can it be so? You never doubt — or wonder. You never think: this is too easy!’

Captain Hastings, "Oh, don't tell me you're falling for her." Hercule Poirot, "No, no, no, Hastings, Poirot does not fall, he observes merely." Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920. During her first marriage, Agatha published six novels, a collection of short stories, and a number of short stories in magazines. Adaptational Ugliness: When visiting the titular character's mansion in the novel, Hastings gives a lengthy monologue about how handsome the butler (Alton) is, describing the latter as an Adonis. The character's appearance is rather unremarkable in the adaptation, and nothing is mentioned about his looks.Thompson's dig was at Nineveh and Max joined the team there in September 1931 followed the next month by Agatha. The invitation was only confirmed after the Mallowans had joined Thompson for a weekend in the country near Oxford where they were subjected to a cross-country scramble on "the wettest day possible over rough country" followed by another test to ensure that neither Agatha nor Max were fussy eaters. These were to ensure that both could withstand the rigours of a season in the wilds of Iraq. Used to walking over Dartmoor and having a very healthy appetite, Agatha passed the tests with flying colours. Highpoint II, Lubetkin's Penthouse - Jane Wilkinson's residence. The rooftop terrace is where she meets Poirot and Hastings. Poirot Facsimile Edition (Facsimile of 1933 UK first edition), February 5, 2007, Hardcover, 256 pp; ISBN 0-00-724022-8 Do you not know, my friend, that each one of us is a dark mystery, a maze of conflicting passions and desires and aptitudes? Mais oui, c’est vrai. One makes one’s little judgments — but nine times out of ten one is wrong.”

We also meet Carlotta Adams, an American impersonator, who is on tour in London and Paris. In a performance watched by Poirot and Hastings in chapter 1, she mimics Jane Wilkinson exceptionally well. Interestingly, this performance is viewed with pleasure by Jane Wilkinson herself, who is seated in the audience, just behind Poirot and Hastings. While Jane Wilkinson is at a dinner party that she only left for a few minutes to take a phone call. Lord Edgware is murdered. There are a lot of suspects, his daughter from his first marriage disliked him. His penniless nephew stands to inherit the title. Secondly, having committed the crime, she has to hope that Carlotta has managed to maintain the deception through to the end of the dinner party. If she does eventually get rumbled, then Jane is sunk. Surely the inclusion of a talented impersonator, who is able to mimic one of the chief suspects, cannot be immaterial to the plot? Throughout much of the novel, and even after the murder of Carlotta Adams we are trying to work out what exactly might have happened here. Carlotta Adams herself is an endearing character. She was based on the American dramatist Ruth Draper, and Agatha Christie was so impressed by her, that she became the inspiration behind the story. In Agatha Christie’s autobiography, she wrote: Adaptation Name Change: Genevieve "Jenny" Driver from the novel becomes Penny Driver in the series, possibly to distinguish her from Geraldine "Gerry" Marsh.

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We know the next bit of the plot, from the title, but who exactly might have done the deadly deed? Apart from his wife, there are other suspects within his family. There is his nephew, Captain Ronald Marsh, who is the heir to his title, and has money troubles. There is Geraldine Marsh, his daughter from his first marriage, whose life he makes a misery. There is the Duke of Merton, whom Lord Edgware’s wife wishes to be free to marry. And as ever, there are butlers, housekeepers and maids of the various households, all of whom could easily have a good motive to murder Lord Edgware. I did not by the way. As usual I was merrily carried away by the fact that I had spotted a detail near the beginning, which would explain the otherwise hidden identity of the murderer. But no. It was a red herring, carefully placed by Agatha Christie to entrap and misdirect innocent readers like me.) The trio are a treat to read about, and their little peccadilloes only add to the enjoyment of this classic golden age mystery.

Prominent in the story are Jane Wilkinson, who like many actresses depicted in fiction, seems completely self-obsessed, and described by her friends as having no conscience at all. But despite reports of having been seen in Lord Edgware’s house at the time of the murder, she has a perfect alibi, as she was also seen attending a dinner with a dozen other guests. In every review about a book written by Agatha Christie I find another thing that I like about her books as for example that the number of the victims in every book isn't set as in a series I read some time ago and I knew beforehand how many victims there would be. The novel was well received at publication, in both London and New York, noting the clue that came from the chance remark of a stranger, calling it ingenious. A later review called it clever and unusual.

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Jane Wilkinson wants to kill her husband and comes up with a ruse that will give her an apparently unshakable alibi. She gets Carlotta Adams to impersonate her at a dinner party while she commits the murder. Dowager Duchess of Merton - The Duke's mother, vehemently opposed to his planned marriage to Jane Wilkinson. Reginald Campbell Thompson (21 August 1876 – 23 May 1941), married to Barbara, was an eminent British archaeologist and the second expedition leader to employ Christie's husband Max Mallowan to work on one of his digs. The offer of work came in 1930 when Mallowan's employer, Leonard Woolley, was proving difficult over his proposed marriage to Agatha and their wish that she should join her husband on the dig at Ur although the real opposition came from Leonard Woolley's difficult wife, Katharine (see the dedication to The Thirteen Problems).